what foods did you not avoid while pregnant?

Just something that I sometimes can't get around my head - if for example I was Japanese and a majority of my diet pre preg, was sushi etc would you/ should you stop?
So do those who have a cultural background stop eating goods that are part of their culture while in pregnant?!!!

I mean I'm not going to have a raw egg, Brie cheese, raw salmon sushi served with a ham salad anytime, but always makes me wonder do the French stop eating Brie?
Do Vietnamese stop eating broken rice with egg?
Do Indians stop eating paneer cheese?

Thoughts, experiences please!

I've been told that all Australian cheeses are pasteurised and so don't carry that risk. I avoided them though.
I'm one of those ppl that avoids everything that has a risk regardless of if I ate it a lot beforehand, so I'm no help. Good thread, I'm looking fwd to seeing what ppl have to say.

I don't avoid anything in particular except alcohol and cigarettes, which I don't use generally anyway (don't smoke, hardly drank because of BF), I just use common sense in relation to food freshness and safety :)

I ate sushi, runny egg and some salami and even some Brie (Australian made therefore pasteurized)

I was very cautious about left overs and food that had been left at room temperature (so mainly food court kind of stuff). I just focussed on freshness, and especially when eating sushi, it was at a restaurant and had just been cut and was still chilled. I think you have more danger from the room temperature rice in a sushi roll, since it is often at room temperature and sitting in a cabinet all day.

Leftovers, though I heated the heck out of them!

Also ate runny eggs.

I didn't eat runny eggs but I didn't eat those pre-pregnancy either. Alcohol is the only thing I avoided (despite major cravings for beer and red wine), and I cut right back on soft drink but was for nutritional reasons (I used
to drink a can a day of coke). I was sensible about eating food that was freshly prepared and unprocessed.

This issue comes up periodically on the forum. It almost always ends up with some very strong opinions expressed :lol:

So my theory is this. I'll eat/avoid what I feel necessary and you eat/avoid what you feel necessary. As long as we are each prepared to accept the potential consequences of our eating/avoiding what we each feel necessary, it's all good.

I ate soft cheeses. And oysters! My theory was - as long as it is fresh.

Thought I'd add, with DD's pregnancy I was super cautious. Why? Because the books/websites said so. I didn't actually look into the reasoning behind these 'rules'. Now, I know that it has more to do with food safety and common sense than particular foods being super dangerous to pregnant women. I believe I read somewhere that the risk of getting listeria is less than the risks involved in getting an induction, yet women would more readily have an induction than eat soft cheese. It was a good article, I'll try to find it. But basically, I avoided last time, and I'm definitely feeling more confident and relaxed now. But I agree with N2L, let's all eat what *we* want, not what others are/are not.

I avoided everything you are told to avoid. Yes, it may have been OTT, but, if something had have been wrong with DD I didn't want to always wonder if it was due to something I ate/drank....I mean, I know the chances are low, but I'm that pedantic sort of person ;) that being said, if another pregnant person chose to eat/drink the things that I didn't I wouldn't care.

Oh, and leftovers were always Soooo hot....

I am currently craving prawns and seafood! Yummy I eat it all, only avoid dodgy salad bars and old food that's been sitting around for ages

I didn't avoid anything, ate everything I was always eating/would normally have eaten. I stopped drinking alcohol and smoking. That was it.

Wow what responses! Awesome.
I wasn't aiming to create controversy, so it's great it's just been what people have done not what they think others should do.
It was more of a cultural food question, but I certainly value the feedback, and I had learnt I will stick to what I'm doing! Eat fresh healthy food!! And enjoy it!

That's about it. The misinformation and scaremongering about what to eat and not to eat in pregnancy is absurd!
But in answer to your question, no, they don't stop eating their *unpasteurised* dairy in France, and I have seen many a pregnant woman consume raw fish sushi and sashimi, etc. The amount of fear pregnant women are consumed with is outrageous imo, when what is really needed is some unadulterated facts and information, and informed (not feared) choice.

I mostly trusted my gut when it came to food and it served me well. If I looked at food and did not want to eat it, then I did not. I remember being 6 weeks pregnant standing only 5 meters from food going "I can't touch that". I was right, the meat was off and many people got food poisoning. I also did my research, spoke to those in the know with this type thing and asked them, rather than just talking to someone who was just going to regurgitate the info from a pamphlet ;)

I admit to using the pregnant food rules to my advantage though, when I was offered food I generally did not like ;) Someone people just don't understand I am not fond of smoked salmon, it was easier to say, can't I am pregnant :rolleyes:

Don't avoid coffee (but I only have one per day), sushi (if the place has a high turnover), deli meat (I eat if cut fresh).

I avoided most of what we were told to avoid, but I do drink Coke.

What other people choose to eat makes no difference to me but it's not worth the risk to me.

The only thing that really bothered me was when others (generally older women) told me to disregard the listeria stuff...if its important to me and I'm happy to follow it, why should it matter to them?

My diet is always eating or avoiding something for one reason or another. I have been pregnant 5 times and I have only 1 child. Avoiding the foods on the do not eat list was no challenge at all and I didn't want to risk anything.

Leftovers, Christmas ham (the only time I like it), sometimes soft cheeses... I can't really remember and it wasn't that long ago lol


Excuse my sucky spelling, I'm on my iPhone

The only things I've really avoided we're sushi (raw salmon ones) and food court sushi. And left over chicken, unless it's re-cooked basically. I don't generally do dairy, so soft cheeses aren't too much of a concern. But I never have avoided soft serve ice cream - and have felt naughty for eating it, but this is my 5th bub, so haven't had any concerns yet lol

I do try to avoid those foods but I do have s tiny bit here and there I've loosened up a bit with my second with ds I was strict but just found it such a hassle I love sushi but it's not the raw fish that's the issue it's the rice sitting in pot all day

As a general rule I think food prep safety is more important than avoiding entire dishes or types of food. I ate oysters for example because I knew where they had come from and that they were fresh. I also ate soft cheeses knowing they were stored in the right part of the fridge etc. I didn't eat pre-prepared stuff sitting in hot ovens or on shaves.

I did eat/drink
Metwurst/salami. Leftovers (I super heated them). Coke (would follow it with a glass of water)

What I didn't eat/drink:
Rice cooked by someone else (unless it was cooked in front of me)
Cold chicken


But as someone else said ' I'll eat what I eat and you eat what you eat.'

I only avoided anything that was 'off'.
Each time my body has had natural aversions to things. I think it was my body's way of keeping healthy.
I didnt drink alcohol, or soft drink either. The soft drink was because my body didnt like the taste of it

I avoid/avoided:

Deli meats (buy pre packed sealed stuff instead)
Cold roast chook (heat the life out of it instead)
Runny eggs (mainly cos I can't stomach the smell)
Food court food and salads
alcohol

everything I use common sense and knowledge